Reigning Melbourne Cup champion Dunaden remains on target to defend his title and is also a certain Caulfield Cup runner.

Trainer Mikel Delzangles has confirmed the horse is fit and well in quarantine at Newmarket and will board a plane for Melbourne on Friday.

"Mikel told me last night the horse is fine and will have a gallop at Newmarket this week before he gets on the plane," Racing Victoria's international manager Leigh Jordon said.

Concerns about the horse's Caulfield Cup prospects arose with reports he would miss the race after developing a foot abscess.

"The trainer knows nothing about it," Jordon said.

"According to him, if the horse travels well, he runs at Caulfield."

Dunaden, the equal topweight on 58kg for both Cups, will be among the first shipment of European raiders due to arrive in Australia on Saturday.

Also on the flight will be 2010 Cup winner Americain and his stablemate Shawardi who has already been declared a runner in the Geelong Cup, a race that has become the new "must run" event for Australia's greatest race.

Three of the five international Cup winners have won the Geelong feature and Bauer in 2009 was successful in it before finishing a close second at Flemington.

A second wave of internationals is due to arrive two weeks later, among them the Dermot Weld-trained Galileo's Choice for whom Pat Smullen has been declared for the Melbourne Cup.

The Godolphin runners are due on a third, private flight from England later this month.